I must admit that I wasn’t a fan of Indian cuisine before I ate at Swagat. There are Indian dishes usually served in hotel buffets that I am exposed to, but I never touched their mango chutney, curries or the famous Bengali meal. The closest Indian dish I ever ate before Swagat was my mother’s chicken curry, but that can’t be counted as Indian dish.

Swagat is one rare piece of gem in Indian cuisine. It doesn’t spell out fine dining and it doesn’t look intimidating even though I couldn’t understand 99% of the dishes on the menu. In fact, Swagat won the Best Indian Cuisine at Manila’s Best Kept Secret Restaurant Awards lasst 2012.

Palak Paneer

Since I wasn’t familiar with Indian cuisine, I relied on my favorite textures so Palak Paneer was my number 1 choice when I saw it on the menu. It looked like pesto blended with cheese. And I was right. It was full of goat cheese.

Plain Roti

I’m a believer in “Less is More” so my roti was just plain. To be honest, you really don’t need rice for Indian cuisine.

Vegetarian Samosa

My friend and I shared an order of Vegetarian Samosa. Or should I call it Potato Pies? I am not a fan of Samosas since I dislike eating potato.

It comes with 2 kinds of sauces. The greenish sauce is more exotic, while the dark brown sauce is sweet and sour. I like the green sauce. The samosas feel more tangy after the dip.

Indian cuisine can be rather a stretch on your budget. If it’s your first time to try out Indian cuisine, I highly suggest you try the New Bombay Indian Cuisine first that has an express branch at Glorietta’s Food Choices before you dive into Swagat. Swagat’s dishes can be rather fiery in your stomach afterwards after all the spices you have digested. You’d feel warm and for some people, this can upset your stomach if you’re a bit sensitive.

New Bombay Express’ Chicken Curry Set for only P150

It’s substandard, but it should prepare you for a more spicy level at Swagat.